Red vs Blue: The Final Battle
by Harvi
Summary: Red versus Blue. The Elite Four showdown. That age-old battle. We all know about it, but what REALLY went down in that famous duel? In this epic tale, the world's two greatest Pokemon trainers battle it out to fulfil their lifelong ambitions. It's a battle about love, about strength, and about lost childhoods.
1. Chapter One: The Beginning of The End

**Chapter One: The Beginning of The End.**

I stagger to the ground, shattered. Dear God, it's been a hell of a battle.

With emphasise on the word _hell_.

It takes all of my strength but I manage to crane my neck to look up at Blue. A strand of his long, spiky hair hangs carelessly down over one eye. With his razor sharp cheekbones and steel-coloured eyes, he looks devilishly handsome.

Handsome- but exhausted. Exhausted and, therefore, vulnerable.

 _I can still do this._

Then I look beyond Blue, to the Pokemon. The battle rages on, as Charizard and Blastoise- Pokemon powerhouses, primed for this moment since the day they were born- struggle on, mercilessly duelling it out to the bitter end.

 _And it will be bitter._

Then, I look past them, to what lies beyond our battleground. And, despite everything, my heart rate quickens. Because there lies the gates to the Hall of Fame.

Inside the Hall of Fame awaits eternal glory. Your name, and that of your Pokemon, will be forever etched in the annals of history, as Pokemon League Champion. Remain outside, however, and there's only disappointment, humiliation, and a hasty trip back to the nearest Poke Centre.

As I gaze from the Hall of Fame to Blue, and back again, the two become blurred. And then, due to sheer exhaustion, my head flops pathetically back down to ground.

As I lay there, shame and guilt filling up every part of my very being, I can't help but wonder:

 _How has it come to this?_

I cast my mind back to the events of a few hours ago- although it feels like an eternity.

That bolt from the blue- after beating Lance, thinking I'd done it, thinking I'd got over the line, taken down the entire Elite Four single-handedly, only to hear from the Professor those terrible words as I tried to enter the Hall of Fame:

 _'Red, I'm sorry! But Blue made it to the top before you. He is the Pokemon League Champion!'_

Blue appearing from the shadows, grinning, but it was a smile without warmth. His words, reverberating around my head, over and over again.

 _'I'm the most powerful trainer in the world!'_

And, then, the two words that I had uttered in response. I had managed to hide the fact that my voice was trembling with shock, somehow sounding composed, even confident.

 _'No more'._

The sheer intensity of our battle has been breathtaking. The world's two greatest Pokemon trainers, fighting it out to find out which one will go down in the history books, and- heaven forbid- which one will be the perennial loser.

It's been like a dance. A perfectly choreographed, exotic- yet brutal and unforgiving- dance.

Psychic!

 _Thunderbolt_!

Mega Kick!

 _Double-Edge_!

Sky attack!

 **HYPERBEAM!**

Now, though, I have little left to offer. The core of my team- Pikachu, Gengar, Scyther and Jolteon, four Pokemon I utterly adore- have given their all throughout my struggle against the Elite Four. But they're too weak to battle anymore.

They did, however, manage to severely weaken Blue's squad. His Pidgeot, Alakazam, Rhydon, Exeggutor and, most impressively on my team's part, his mighty Arcanine- are all too war-weary to fight on.

I have Charizard and Gyarados- my wildcard, rogue of a Pokemon- still in my armoury, whilst Blue has just his titanic Blastoise left.

Yep, we've come a long way since those childish squabbles over whose Squirtle or Charmander was 'better'.

Oh, and for the record? It was Charmander. All day long, buddy.

A terrible, almighty howl brings my attention back into the moment, back to the Pokemon. It is a scream of pure agony, the kind of scream where the only humane thing to do is to put the poor beast of its misery. And, as I survey the scene, I make an awful discovery.

The scream came from Charizard.

Charizard is a phenomenally strong Pokemon- he took down Lance's reportedly 'invincible' Dragonite single-handedly. But versus Blastoise, where Charizard's very biology is firmly stacked against him, he needed me. Without my guidance, Charizard has lost his way.

Water jets are erupting from Blastoise's cannons, pummelling Charizard. Charizard, his energy sapped, takes hit after hit.

It's a terrible sight.

I feel sick.

Charizard can fight no more. It's painfully obvious. Yet still Blastoise continues to strike Charizard.

Over and over again.

'Blue!' I scream. 'Make him stop!'

Nothing.

'I concede!' I cry, almost hysterical now. 'You win! Just make him stop!'

Then, the gruesome reality hits me. Blue isn't going to stop. Charizard's life is in terrible, terrible danger.

Adrenaline refuels my depleted energy levels, as I stand up and sprint over to Blue.

I'm in his face now, screaming at him, begging him to stop.

But, when I look into his eyes, I see no hint of the cocksure kid I grew up with. He was arrogant, _sure_ , annoying, _oh,_ _more than you could even imagine_ , but it was all just part of his humour. Despite all the playful trash talk, we were friends.

Best friends.

Now I see only a coldblooded killer.

Suddenly, we're fighting.

'I hate you!' he screams. I know he doesn't mean it, but it still hurts, God it hurts, like a dagger through the heart.

'I'm sorry', I gasp, as he punches me, although, what I'm sorry _for_ exactly, I do not know.

We grapple and wrestle, punch and kick, snarl and bite.

He's screaming now, so loudly and hoarsely I can barely make out what he's saying.

 **'** YOU JUST COULDN'T LET ME HAVE IT, COULD YOU?'

I've never see him so mad before. I feel scared.

'I BEAT LANCE, I WAS AT THE GATES TO THE HALL OF FAME, AT THE FUCKING GATES!'

Then, just like that, he stops shouting. And everything goes quiet.

And, as I look into Blue's eyes, I see beyond the coldness and the loathing- and see his pain within.

He can never say it- he's far too proud for that- but I feel that in this moment I understand Blue Oak far more than I ever have before. And I realise that it's about something far greater than this battle, greater than the Pokemon, greater even than the Pokemon League itself.

Why he's hurting so much, I can't say for certain.

It may be the fact he's an orphan, whilst I still have my mother.

It could be about the love of his grandfather. A grandfather who is the first to encourage and praise me. To give me my first choice of Pokemon, to offer guidance and support whenever I need it and- yet- the first to scold Blue, to tell him to stop being silly, to stop 'acting up'. Rather than ever simply saying 'I'm proud of you'.

It could even be about me. All Blue wanted was to make his grandfather proud, to fill the gaping void of his dead parents by achieving his lifetime dream of becoming the Pokemon League champion. Yet, because of me, it was for but a painfully brief instant.

I can't read Blue's mind. Like I say, I don't know why he looks so broken. All I can see is that a young man is suffering.

I don't fight back anymore. I don't have it in me.

 _How can I lay a finger on my best friend?_

Blue continues to batter me, punching blow after blow into my chest.

Finally, when it becomes clear that I have nothing left, Blue stops.

And speaks, quietly:

'I live to end you. To put an end to all you have and all you'll ever be. That's all I have.'

As tears fall down his cheeks, guilt swallows me whole.

In desperation, I try something else.

'But what about the night, _that_ _night_ , when we-'

'It meant nothing to me, Red. Less than nothing'.

He turns his back on me, and starts walking off.

My world spins and revolves around now, faster and faster, until I can't stand up anymore, and I'm on my knees, mere feet away from Charizard.

I beg Blue to stop Blastoise, to spare Charizard. And- eventually- Blastoise does stop.

Charizard's eyes remain closed. But, as I listen closely, I can hear Charizard breathing- thank God, thank God! Faintly, only just- but he's breathing.

Yet Charizard needs help, urgently. In my state, though, I'm in no condition to help anybody.

'Blue', I say, softly. 'Please'.

Blue stops walking, turning back to face me. His eyes soften as he looks me up and down. There's a sad, almost wistful look in his eyes. It lasts for only a split second.

Then, his eyes go cold.

'Blasotise. Hydro Pump.'

He walks away, his posture straight, tall and proud. An Oak indeed.

 _'On both of them.'_

 **To be continued.**

My first story on here! Next chapter coming soon!

I really appreciate any feedback, even if it's only a line. Thanks guys! harvi.


	2. Chapter Two: Agony

**Chapter Two: Agony**

WHOOSH!

I have time to think of only two words before I'm struck by Hydro Pump.

 _Holy shit!_

Given that these could be the very last words I think before my untimely death, I'm somewhat disappointed with their quality. I'd hoped to come up with something eloquent, something witty perhaps. At the very least something sarcastic. But, alas, no.

 _Bloody typical._

Then, in an instant, almost too quick for the human eye to register the movement, the stream of water strikes me.

KA-BLAM!

Instantly, the pain is too much for me to bear. It feels like my chest is being crushed by a hundred-tonne tank. I can feel my ribs breaking, one by one. I gasp, splutter, wheeze, choke. Desperate to do anything that will get air into my lungs. Then, everything goes black.

* * *

 _Red and Blue._

Yin and yang.

 _Both from Pallet Town._

Although, even as young kids, we were dreamers. We both craved something bigger, something better, something different from the norm.

 _Both survivors of the war which ravaged Kanto._

A war in which so many others lost their lives. A war which stole Blue's parents, stole my father and- perhaps worst of all- stole our innocence.

 _Both lost souls, finding our meaning, our identity, our EVERYTHING, through our Pokemon._

Since we chose our very first Pokemon from the Professor, we have lived and breathed for them. We are forever and irrevocably bonded with them. And, God above, we wouldn't have it any other way.

 _Both tempted by the raw, awesome power of Team Rocket._

And, yet, we both stayed true to ourselves. Stayed true to our ultimate ambition. Stayed on that rockiest of paths, the road to becoming the greatest Pokemon trainer of all-time. And now we're both so bloody close.

 _Yet both with more regrets than we can name…_

 _That night._

Well, what can I say about it?

Let's start with this: it never should have happened.

It was after our duel in Lavender Town. We'd fought an incredibly intense battle. I'd managed to win, but only just. Charmander had just evolved, and my fresh faced Chameleon put in a spellbinding performance to batter Blue's team into submission, virtually single-handedly.

 _It had been wrong. It had all been so bloody wrong._

Blue's Raticate, a Pokemon he'd nurtured since he'd caught it as a tiny Rattata on Route 1, had passed away on the SS Anne. Nobody was to blame- there had been overcrowding on the luxury liner, and Blue couldn't get off the ship to get Raticate the aid he so desperately needed. It was tragic, yes, heartbreaking even. But it was an accident. And, yet, Blue blamed himself.

 _He never could accept fate, never accept that some things are just out of the control of us mere humans._

He had come to bury his Raticate at the Pokémon Tower. He'd let his guard down emotionally. I had, too. Any friend would have been there for him.

 _Wouldn't they?_

Just thinking about it sends a tingle through my body, although it's a mere fraction of the electricity that had passed between us that night.

 _Red and Blue._

 _Yin and yang._

We're trainers. We live for our Pokemon. We travel alone, we fight alone and we'll die alone. Can it get lonely sometimes? Sure. But it's the life we love, the life we lead and, ultimately, the ONLY life for us.

 _It never should have happened. And it never will again._

Something about this thought brings me, kicking and screaming, back to the brutal reality of excruciating pain. I'm here again, outside the gates to the Hall of Fame, on the cold, wet floor. I'm screaming, crying out with all of my heart, but only inside my head. Even in this state, I don't want to give Blue the satisfaction of screaming out loud. As I near the end though, somehow I'm able to think logically. And, as I regain my cognitive thought process, I have a revelation.

 _There's always a way out._

Blastoise can't have attack forever. Even a Pokemon at this incredible level cannot attack indefinitely, not without burning itself out. Eventually, Blastoise will reach a point where it has no energy left. If I can just survive for the moment, this very second, right here right now, then who knows? There may just be a chance.

 _There's gotta be a chance._

I lay there, clinging on to life with the very tips of my fingers.

I am pain.

I am agony.

 _I am hell._

God only knows for how long I lie here. It could be a second, could be hours, could be days. I have no clue. All I know is that every second feels like it's obliterating part of my soul, piece after piece. And- then- it's over. I don't feel anything anymore. My body's so numb that I don't even know whether I'm alive or not. As I make to pinch myself, to check if I'm alive, I realise I don't have to. My body is absolutely soaked to the bone.

 _Still breathing, then._

Pulling together every last scrap of energy I have left, and it's probably even less than one HP at this point, I stand up. Suddenly, I feel reenergised. I've been so close to the brink- indeed, at this very moment I teeter dangerously close to the edge of life and death- that a strange sense of calm overtakes me.

'BLUE!' I yell, with all my might. I don't know where he is, but I can sense him. I know he's close.

 _I always bloody know._

'Get your ass back over here'.

* * *

 **To be continued tomorrow.**


	3. Chapter Three: The End of the Beginning

**Chapter Three: The end of the beginning.**

I look down at Charizard, fiddling around in my backpack as I do so.

 _Time to bring this bad boy back in the game._

There's a Max Revive in here somewhere, I know there is.

Eventually I find it, pull it out of my bag, and spray it all over Charizard. I've been saving it for ages, and if I don't use it now, then when else?

As I continue to spray Charizard, all over his gigantic, powerful body, I start to get concerned. Because the item doesn't seem to be having any effect.

I feel a sense of rising panic as I put my head on his chest, to listen for his heartbeat.

 _Nothing._

But, then…

This doesn't…

How can it…

 _No._

I pull out another Revive, spray it on, then another, then a Hyper Potion, then more potions. I continue to try potion after potion, even Parlyz Heals and Antidotes, anything and everything to heal Charizard, to bring him back.

And then it hits me. Like a bludgeon to the head.

 _Charizard is dead._

My heart goes cold. Everything feels numb. And, for a split second, I lose myself completely.

'NOOOOOOOO!' I yell, and now tears and snot are streaming down my face, but I don't care, I couldn't give less of a fuck, I just want him back.

I just want my baby back.

I pull him close to me, and sit there as silent sobs wrack my entire body.

* * *

I've nurtured Charizard since he was a just a wee Charmander. I'd been looking forward to getting my first Pokemon for so long. But getting him was even better than I could have possibly imagined.

People always asked, 'Why d'ya chose Charmander, Red?' My response was always the same 'I didn't. Charmander chose me'. And it's absolutely true. With his flickering flame on his tail, not to mention his gorgeous, innocent eyes, he was a jaw-dropping sight. Yet there was always that deep power, that incredible potential, within him.

All of this runs through my mind as I cradle Charizard's corpse in my arms.

I don't know how long I sit there. I lose track of time, my sense of self, everything.

All I do is ask myself: _why?_

Until something snaps within me. And I somehow manage to pull myself together.

Charizard's gone- yes.

But the rest of my Pokemon have to go on, I have to go on. I've worked so hard for this. My whole life- everything I've achieved, everything Charizard helped me achieve, all of it hangs in the balance.

With my last remnant of energy, I hurl my final Poke Ball.

'Go, Gyarados!'

Gyarados explodes from the Poke Ball, and lets fly a terrifying howl.

Gyarados and I have had our differences in the past- he can be the most disobedient and difficult Pokemon in my team at times- but not today. He seems to instantly grasp the gravity of the situation.

Blue appears from the shadows. He's smiling, but it's lacking its usual confidence, its bravado. He never reckoned on me making it this far.

He begins to use a Hyper Potion on Blastoise- but he's not fast enough.

'Hyper Beam!' I yell.

Gyarados tenses his body, before unleashing the attack with astonishing power. The ground vibrates, like an earthquake. The noise makes my head spin.

 _This is something else entirely._

'Blastoise, use Hydro Pum-'

'Again!' I yell, and Gyarados delivers yet another ferocious strike. Cracks start to appear in the battleground, as Blastoise is hurled through the air, before smashing, mercilessly, to the floor.

'FINISH HIM!" I scream. There's an air of finality to the battle now.

 _But…_

Nothing happens. And I realise that Gyarados is low on energy. Like Blastoise, and for that matter every other Pokemon, he cannot attack forever. As he recharges, I wait.

 _For the beginning of the end._

'Red!' says Blue, quietly. 'Stop. Please. He can't take much more.'

 _Like I care._

I'm a different person to the one I was before this battle. My eyes glint, and every pore of my body is filled with fire and venom. I tower over Blastoise. His body's quivering. I look into his eyes, and see fear, pure fear. I realise Blue's right. He really can't take much more.

And, Christ, I couldn't give less of a shit. Blue is nothing to me.

Blastoise- that murderer, that scum- means even less.

I continue to stare at Blastoise. I smile coldly. I'm gonna enjoy finishing you off, really bloody enjoy it.

And, yet, the more I stare, the less I can see the enormous beast that is Blastoise. I see what he was just not long ago- Wartortle. A bold, cocky, playful little Wartortle.

Now, as I continue to gaze upon Blastoise, I don't see even Wartortle anymore. I just see Squirtle.

Squirtle and Blue. Young and innocent and carefree. When the days were made of big dreams, and even bigger smiles.

 _Christ._

 _What am I doing?_

The battle's over. And it was over a long time ago. This is just butchery now.

I walk over to Blue, whose crumpled into a heap on the floor. Gone is the arrogance, the charm. It's been replaced by a primal fear.

I bend down and offer him my hand. Haul him to his feet. We look into each other's eyes. And we embrace. I smile, a genuine smile, a proper smile. A- dare I say it- happy smile.

'You did, it, Red', says Blue, softly. 'You really did it. You're the Pokemon League champion.'

And he's right.

And now I'm crying, because Charizard's gone but I won, somehow, despite it all, I won, and now I'm so happy and so sad at the same time, and I'm proud, so bloody proud I could burst…

 _I did it, Dad. I really did._

I'm the Pokemon League CHAMPION!

* * *

To be continued- in the _final_ chapter- **tomorrow.**


	4. Chapter Four: The One

**Chapter Four: The One**

* * *

 ** _Diary: Sept. 1_**

 _MEWTWO is far too powerful._

 _We have failed to curb its vicious_

 _tendencies…_

* * *

I stand outside Cerulean Cave.

Ever since the I read about the Pokémon Mansion journals on Cinnabar Island, it's been on my mind. Haunting my dreams, night after night.

 _One hundred and forty nine, one hundred and forty fucking nine not out…_

I'd tried to be okay with this. Tried to be content with being the most powerful Pokemon trainer in the world.

Dragonite, Lapras, Alakazam... gotcha.

The three legendary birds- all mine.

But- ever the perfectionist- I just couldn't resist.

There's one Pokemon left, one big blot on my near-perfect copy book. Well, there was.

 _Not for much longer._

The Pokemon in Cerulean Cave are undoubtedly the most powerful wild Pokemon in all of Kanto. The strongest of them all sits at the very heart of the cave. All alone, the Pokemon is, quite literally, an island unto itself. Its power seems to radiate to the other Pokemon, to permeate their very beings. They, too, have grown unnaturally strong.

The Pokemon that lies in The Unknown Dungeon is _so_ strong- yet so tragic- that even the very best trainers refuse to say its name.

We all refer to it only as: The One.

Great trainers have steered clear of The One, even those in the Elite Four. In fact, they actually hired somebody to guard the entrance to the cave, so as to keep the average trainer from stumbling across Pokemon that are so powerful that they would crush him in a heartbeat.

When I asked Lance about The One, he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He uttered just a single word- a word of warning, with perhaps even a hint of menace behind it, too.

 _'Don't'._

Now, though, things are different. I'm the Pokemon League Champion, and free to do as I please.

As I stand at the entrance to the cave, I select three of my Poke Balls, and toss them into the air.

'Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres', I say, quietly but firmly.

They explode into the air, in a brilliant flash of light. Intuitively, they know what they must do.

As I step into the cave, the three titans form a protective ring around me. Their job is to ward off any potential threats, as well as defeating any wild Pokemon that try and get in my way.

In a brilliant concoction of fire, ice and electricity, I set to work, plotting my way through the maze of rocky, uneven paths.

I have one mission, and one mission only.

Get The One, and then get the hell out of here.

There's an air of finality to this whole trip. I'm under no illusions- my days of being a Pokemon Trainer are coming to an end. A quiet life awaits for me back home, back in Pallet Town. I feel the familiar pang of guilt that I do every time I think about home- about how long I've left Mom there, on her own. What kind of a son am I?

 _I'm coming home, Mom. I've got this one last thing to do, then I'm coming home. Really._

I couldn't say how long it took me to navigate my way through the cave. There's a timeless quality to somewhere like this. In a place where such an intense blackness envelops every last nook and cranny, who is really checking to see whether it is day or night?

There were so many wrong turns, countless dead ends, not to mention the numerous moments of despair, where I just felt like giving up entirely.

When I get within a certain range though, the path suddenly seems to present itself. All I have to do now is follow the source of the power.

The closer I get to the heart of the cave, however, the stronger the wild Pokemon seem to get. Soon the three legendary birds have become so weak defending me- there is a seemingly unlimited stream of Arboks, Magnetons, Hypnos, all of them twice as large and twice as powerful as they're supposed to be - that I realise I cannot use them in the battle. Not against the most powerful Pokemon in the world.

 _It would be suicide._

I return the three brilliant, beautiful birds, back to the sanctuary and security of their Poke Balls.

'Good job, guys', I say, as I fix the balls onto my belt.

I take a deep breath.

 _Well, kid. This is it._

I bring Lapras out. Jump on her back. She then surfs smoothly over to the island.

And there it is. There stands The One.

I pull out a Poke Ball. The first one in my belt. Who else would I use for a battle of this magnitude?

'Char-' I begin- and catch myself. Then, I'm flooded by a wave of pure emotion. My eyes fill with tears.

 _Why? Why did it have to fucking happen?_

I think about his funeral. Now his body lies in the Pokemon Tower, next to Blue's Raticate. I take another deep breath, close my eyes and compose myself.

 _This isn't the time, Red._

I select Gengar instead.

The battle is breathtaking. Breathtaking, that is, in its brevity.

 _'Confuse Ray!'_ I yell to Gengar. Gengar does as instructed, but, somehow, The One manages to reverse the attack. Gengar wanders around the battlefield in a state of shock and bewilderment, repeatedly pounding himself with Psychic and Shadowball as he does so.

I have no choice but to return him. He's in such a terrible way that I can't help but wonder if he will ever fully recover from such an attack.

Now, in a panicked state, I turn to my wildcard- Gyarados. The Pokemon that so brilliantly helped me become Pokemon League Champion.

And yet, this time, the big-game Pokemon seems to let the occasion get to him. When his mighty Hyper Beam misses, Gyarados's confidence seems to shatter. One Psychic is all it takes to wipe out my strongest Pokemon.

I have just Jolteon left. He doesn't stand a chance- and we both know it. Soon it will be just me and The One left and, then, God help me.

And, yet, it seems that me and The One have both made the same mistake. We have both underestimated Jolteon.

Jolteon strikes quickly with a Thunderbolt, before following up with a Thunder Wave. And- just like that- the tables are turned!

The One is paralysed.

I take a moment to gaze upon The One.

In a word- awesome. It radiates power, hell, it just _is_ pure power.

 _And just imagine how much more powerful it would be under my guidance…_

I know I don't have much time. The paralysis will not last long, not on a Pokemon like this. Soon it'll be fighting fit again, and this Pokemon will finish the task of- singlehandedly- taking down a team that only a year ago defeated the Elite Four.

I reach into my bag. I didn't want it to come to this- I would have preferred to weaken The One with my Pokemon, and then use an Ultra Ball to catch it. That would have been a far more honourable course of action. But, given the circumstances, I really feel like I have very little choice.

I look at my Master Ball.

Despite the dinginess of the cave, it glitters, a brilliant purple gleam. I pick it out of my bag and weigh it up in my hand. It's surprisingly heavy. Now, I get ready to throw it.

Somehow, The One seems to sense what is about to come next. And so it knows there's very little that it can do about it. In this brief window of time, it's fantastically powerful body is useless.

Am I mistaken, or is there a look of… desperation in his eyes?

Then, it hits me.

I thought this is what The One would have wanted. I'd always pictured myself as the saviour, rescuing The One from the loneliness and solitude of the cave. I was to be the portal back into the world of light.

But now I'm not so sure. Am I merely forcing The One, against its will, to rejoin the society which cast it out in disgust?

After all The One's been through. The years of pain and torture and downright fucking brutality that led to its creation. When I first heard of this, I couldn't help myself- I wept. The type of tests and experiments conducted on The One, my God, they're ones which you would not wish on your worst enemy.

How could anyone, ANYONE be so goddamned cruel?

It was treated so abhorrently, so inhumanely, that it's had to come here, to the bottom of a forgotten cave, just to be left in peace.

Can I condemn this Pokemon? The proudest, greatest of all of Pokemon- to be caught on a mere technicality? A simple technological trick that allowed this Master Ball to be invented?

My Pokedex said that The One's eyes glowed out of hatred, or to strike fear into an opponent's heart. They're not now.

They're glowing out of _fear_.

And that's when I realise it. Despite it all, The One is a Pokemon too. No less in value than Gengar, Jolteon or Gyarados. Nor- God rest his soul- my Charizard.

I pull back my arm. And I hurl the Master Ball, with all my might. Past The One- and into the lake behind it.

As I walk away, I turn back. And say what I haven't yet been able to say. The true name of The One.

'Goodbye, MewTwo'.


	5. Epilogue

_Hey. It's me. Again. Had a pretty rough day today. Guess I should start with an apology. And, yeah, I'm sorry. Truly. I broke my promise to catch all one hundred and fifty Pokemon. And I should feel shoddy about it, bad. Breaking a promise is meant to be something terrible. For some reason, though I don't. Deep down, I think that I made the right decision, the_ only _decision I could have possibly made. I couldn't bring that Pokemon back to the evil from which it was created. I'd have kept my promise, yeah- but at what cost? And one hundred and forty nine's not that bad anyway, right?_

 _Like I've been promising for so long, I'm gonna go home now. Back to Pallet Town, back to Mom. I've been away from her for way, way too long. I vowed to protect her, look after her, to try and be the man of the house. And, well, I can't defend myself on this- I've done a pretty lousy job at it. Too focused on myself, on my training. Although, I guess if my training's achieved anything, I'm strong enough to protect her from pretty much anyone, or anything, now! I shouldn't joke about that kind of thing. I know, I know. Oh, yeah, one last little thing. I have a question. I was kinda hoping you could answer it. Honestly, ya know. Are you proud of me yet? Are you? I hope you are. I know I make mistakes, but I always try my best. Can you hear me up there, Dad?_


End file.
